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Posted on: April 2, 2019

Loudoun County Kicks Off Efforts for a Complete Count in 2020 Census

The Loudoun County Complete Count Committee kicked off local efforts to help make sure everyone living in Loudoun is counted in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census during an inaugural meeting Monday, April 1, 2019.

The Board of Supervisors established the local Complete Count Committee earlier this year to raise awareness about the 2020 Census and to help increase the response rate to the census questionnaire. Following the recommendation of the U.S. Census Bureau that the jurisdiction’s highest elected official serve as committee chair, the Board of Supervisors appointed Chair Phyllis J. Randall as the chair of the Complete Count Committee.

“I feel strongly that establishing a Complete Count Committee is a critical step toward achieving an accurate count in Loudoun,” Randall said. “We cannot overstate the importance of making sure every resident is counted in the 2020 Census because so much depends on it: funding, representation, aid to the county, impacts to our economy, and much more. I’m honored to chair the committee and will work to ensure Loudoun residents get their fair share of all that is based on the size and makeup of our population.”

The Board selected committee members from diverse sectors of the community who are positioned to strategically leverage their networks to benefit the county’s objectives in the 2020 Census. Members include representatives of the Loudoun County government, education, business, community groups, faith-based organizations, homeowners associations and regional associations.

The Complete Count Committee and the U.S. Census Bureau will be encouraging the public to participate in the count by completing questionnaires online beginning in March 2020. The committee also will work to identify and reach out to groups in the county who have historically been undercounted or not responded, such as ethnic or minority populations, immigrants, renters and low-income households. In addition, the committee’s charge includes developing and implementing a 2020 Census outreach campaign, executing various strategies that encourage self-responses and forming subcommittees as needed to reach out to hard-to-count populations in an effort to promote timely responses to the census count.

An accurate count of Loudoun County residents is important to the community in many ways. The count affects the allocation of federal funding to the county and affects how legislative districts are drawn, which can impact the number of seats that the state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, the census data is used for:

The distribution of more than $675 billion annually in federal funds to local governments such as Loudoun County as well as state and tribal governments;

Redistricting of local, state and congressional legislative districts; school districts and voting precincts;

Forecasting future transportation needs for all segments of the population;

Assisting local governments in planning and implementing programs, services, and emergency response; and

Designing facilities for people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.

“The county did not have a Complete Count Committee during the 2010 Census and as a result, we may have lost dollars that are critical to our community,” Randall said.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that for every Virginian who is not counted, the state/region loses $2,000 per year for 10 years, or $20,000 total, in federal assistance program allocations.

During Loudoun’s first Complete Count Committee meeting, members received training by a U.S. Census Bureau representative. In addition, Nicole Acosta of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties was appointed as the committee’s vice chair. Members of the committee will consider forming subcommittees to complete more focused tasks in the coming months and begin meeting regularly.

The U.S. Constitution requires that a census of the country’s population be taken every ten years. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau will use new technology and will allow people to respond online and by phone as well as the traditional mail response. Responses to the 2020 Census are confidential and protected by law and can only be used to produce statistics.